Black Chicagoans Little and Franklin Head to Paris for Olympics
Chicagoan Shamier Little will be headed to the Olympics for the first time later this month as a part of the women’s 4x400 meter relay team for the United States. Little ran for Lindblom in high school.
It has been a long road of Lindblom Math & Science Academy alum Shamier Little. The two-time World’s silver medalist in the women’s 400m hurdles got a call Tuesday night that she has been waiting for a lifetime; she will be part of the 120-member United States Track and Field team. Little who ran for Texas A&M in college is now 29 and with a fourth place finish in the Olympic trials earlier this month, she began to wonder if that would be her final shot. However, Tuesday’s announcement that she will be a part of the 4x400 relay team means she will realize her childhood dream.
Author and now two-time Olympian Tori Franklin, who was born in Evanston, will be headed to Japan later this month to compete in the triple jump. She is the only American woman to ever win a medal at a world competition in the event.
She will be taking a fellow Chicago-area native with her though, as Evanston-born Tori Franklin qualified in the women’s triple jump to join Little on the team. This will be Franklin’s second Summer Olympic games after finishing 25th in 2021 at the games in Tokyo. Franklin moved to Greece in 2021 and has since put out a book: “You Anthems: Stories and Reflections of Celebrations.” Franklin competed at Downers Grove South High School (2011) before attending Michigan State University. She became the first woman to win a medal for the United States in the triple jump with a third place finish at the World’s in 2022.
Franklin and Little will make up one of the strongest USA women’s Olympic track teams in history. Led by Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Gabby Thomas, the USA will be favored in many of the races. Typically strongest in the sprint races, the USA team will also be strong in many of the field events with Charleston, South Carolina native Raven Saunders and Chase Jackson from New Mexico as favorites in the shot put.
Another competitor to watch for is Anna Hall in the heptathalon. Hall, who has overcome some major injuries in her foot and knee in recent years, is being showcased on many of the promo ads for the team.
Sha'Carri Richardson will be attempting to win the 100 meters title. She is the United States best hope in wrestling away the domination that has been going on for over a decade by Jamaica in the event. She will have to stop Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Shericka Jackson to do that however, which is a tall order for the Dallas-native Richardson.